Tout Miel, All Honey
by TwinklingCupcake
Summary: "If you tried to squash a magical bee creature - who was offering you both friendship and magical ability - with a math textbook, was that grounds to have it taken away?" [a small collection of drabbles/ficlets]
Nope.

Nope.

No, nope, this was wrong, this _had_ to be wrong!

They had the _wrong_ girl!

Sabrina sat on the edge of her bed, heart hammering in her chest, math book clutched in her hands. After she'd finally stopped screaming (and who could have blamed her? _There was a giant bee in her room!)_ and somewhat calmed down, the small yellow creature took the liberty of explaining.

Basically:

\- She'd left quite the impression on the elderly man she'd stopped to help that morning on her way to school.

\- ...particularly since her BFF had been quite rude in that same moment – really, accidentally knocking over a trash can over someone deserved an apology. And particularly since Sabrina stopping to help clean up, put the trash back in the bin, and ask if he needed further help had made her late for classes but she had _still_ done it.

\- It so happened the gentleman had been looking for someone to give the Bee Comb to anyway.

\- No, she was not the only one of her kind; there were more of her and it so happened that the local heroes had creatures like her, too.

\- Oh yeah and she was called Hanii, nice to meet you, Sabrina.

"I'd come closer," the yellow creature said in a gentle voice. "But that book is rather heavy-looking, you see..."

Sabrina glanced down at it and tossed it onto her bed, blushing faintly. If you tried to squash a magical bee creature - who was offering you both friendship and magical ability - with a math textbook, was that grounds to have it taken away?

"Listen, I really think-" Sabrina began anxiously.

But Hanii wasn't listening. "Now then, to continue. It's nice to meet you, and-"

"I really-!"

"-and there's a _lot_ I need to tell you! Oh, but it's been a little while since I had a last Chosen, so I do have some questions for you, too. Ah, who should go first...?"

" _I really think this is wrong!"_ Sabrina blurted out.

Hanii's huge black eyes blinked, head tilting to the left. "Oh? Why's that?" she asked, floating closer.

Floating. Not flying. Despite the little bitty wings on her back, they weren't flapping.

"You're like – you're a little thing like Ladybug and Chat Noir have, right? But – but they're cool!" was all she could think of to say. At Hanii's vacant stare, she went on. "They're cool, and Ladybug is really pretty, and they're strong, and famous, and whoever they are behind the masks must be just as cool and amazing and- and I really think this is a mistake!" she cried.

Hanii's head shook. "It's no mistake, Miss! Chosens are chosen for a reason – there's only been _one_ mistake in...gosh, millenia, Miss Sabrina."

Sabrina's shoulders slumped. "W-Well...well maybe it's the second one, then."

Neither said anything, Hanii just silently observing Sabrina.

The redhead didn't speak or even look at the yellow and black creature, just staring at her knees as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. It was a mistake. It must be.

Plenty of others were more qualified.

Rose was kind and sweet.

Juleka was brave. She'd called a monster _awesome,_ for goodness sake.

Alya was brave, and she ran the Ladyblog too. It made sense to pick her.

Ivan and Kim and Alix were all strong, the latter were speedy.

Nino...she wasn't sure about him yet, but he had kept a cool head during that awful Akuma attack during their movie-making project. And he was loyal to his friends.

Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, Max – lots of people had far better qualities than herself! Heck, Chloe would have been a better choice – in fact, now that Sabrina thought it, maybe this was meant for Chloe. She could see her BFF as a cool super-heroine, flying around Paris in a pretty costume, looking tough and glamorous all at once...

...what was Sabrina?

"Oh, Sabrina..." Hanii's voice murmured. "Don't cry..."

Sabrina blinked, startled to realize how her eyes were stinging and her vision blurring. She sniffled wetly, removing her glasses to clean the teardrops off of them. As she was doing so, Hanii flew towards her, nuzzling her forehead. Sabrina just let her, trying not to cry any further and distress the little thing.

"You really think that about yourself, dear? I told you, this is no mistake...You're kind, selfless – though perhaps to a fault, but no Chosen has ever been perfect – focused, loyal... Dear, you just need some time to _see_ this."

Sabrina didn't speak, not even as Hanii kissed her between the eyes.

"You're far better than you believe you are."

* * *

"Psssst. Pssst, Marinette!"

The brunette looked up, startled to see Sabrina standing next to her seat. "Uh?"

Sabrina was bright red, shifting from foot to foot as she held something behind her back. "Listen, uhm – I know we're not exactly friends, but I got this from a relative, and I don't know how to put it on, and Chloe would just tease for having this. Do you know how to put in a comb?" She held her hands up, revealing a gold-colored comb in the shape of a hexagon.

Kind of a weird-looking one, but okay.

"Yeah, I do. Come here." Marinette took the comb from Sabrina, waited until the other girl knelt down, and then took a section of her hair in one hand. "Where do you want it exactly?"

"Here's good," she said, pointing to a spot above her temple.

Marinette nodded, twisting her hair a little and gathering a few more locks. "So where'd you get this?" she asked.

"The mail. A relative. Dist-distant relative. Reeeaaally distant – I barely know him."

Marinette's eyebrow lifted, but she said nothing. After another moment, she had deftly put the comb in Sabrina's hair. "There we go! Hey, that looks good on you."

Sabrina lifted a hand to brush her fingertips against the comb, smiling oddly. "Thanks..."

* * *

"Bees don't... _eat_ honey, do they?"

"I told you, I'm not _really_ a bee, Miss."

"I know but – what do you eat?"

"Well, it's a little odd, I think, but I'm quite partial to flower petals!"

Well, that was easy enough. Flowers grew all over the place. And there were even some nice cut flowers in a vase on the coffee table.

And that was how Sabrina's father returned home a minute later to see her plucking petals off a daisy.

"Sabrina, _what_ are you doing?!"

"...he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not..."

* * *

Honeycomb tried to scream, but it only came out as a strangled, choked gasp. Her mace was lying on the ground three feet away, her having fumbled it not twenty seconds ago. She wiggled weakly, but to no avail.

The Akuma – Ribbon-Danger, she'd announced herself as – just laughed, tightening her ribbon around the hapless girl. "Is this _really_ the best you've got?" she asked. "Here I thought you'd pose a challenge!"

 _It's my first battle, give me a break!_ Honeycomb thought angrily. She wanted to say it out loud, but all that came out was "Ighblk!" The ribbon seemed to grow longer, wrapping around her like she were a mummy, constricting around her throat. She gasped again, much hoarser than last time. She vaguely heard Ribbon-Danger bidding her goodbye, the ribbon tightened...Black appeared on the edge of her vision, she began to feel very light and not in the good way she had upon her first transformation...

Muffled and distant, there was a boy's voice..

And then the pressure was gone. Honeycomb gasped loudly, inhaling sweet, glorious oxygen as she fell to her knees...

And into a pair of red and black-spotted arms. "I gotcha! It's okay – you don't have to do anything, just _breathe...!"_ a familiar voice said, her tone horrified and relieved at once.

Honeycomb did just that, gasping and coughing only a little, and the color returned to her flesh. She looked up, gratefully –

-right into the eyes of Ladybug herself.

Honeycomb wheezed again, and Ladybug briefly looked panicked. But then her fearful expression was replaced by dry frustration at Honeycomb's next words.

" _Can I get you two's autographs later?!"_


End file.
